Mark Helfrich was in a tailspin. This was late in his tenure at the University of Oregon. In a desperation move, the struggling head coach ordered defensive back coach John Neal up to the fifth-floor coaching box at Autzen Stadium for a mid-November home game against Stanford.
Helf wanted Neal’s eyes up high, to help defensive coordinator Don Pellum.
What Neal noticed when he got to the box had nothing to do with the game.
It had to do with Phil Knight.